Speaking exclusively to Terrorizer magazine, British extreme metal legends Carcass have revealed that their new album title will be "Surgical Steel." This will be their first album since 1996's, "Swansong" and the first not to feature drummer, Ken Owen, whose place will be taken by Trigger the Bloodshed skinsman Daniel Wilding.

Guitarist Bill Steer told Terrorizer: "I found myself playing riffs that sounded like Carcass. This was after the band had finished the whole reunion cycle of shows and festivals. So officially I would have been playing with other bands and stuff, but for some reason whenever I picked up a guitar at home I was coming up with riffs that sounded like Carcass.

"I got on the phone to Jeff [Walker, bass/vocals] and said, ‘We could have a crack at writing a couple of tunes and seeing if they’re strong enough and take it from there’. We also agreed, if it didn’t sound like Carcass or have that kind of vibe to it, we would just drop it. So that was the thing, we got together and started working on some stuff and just immediately got the excitement back very quickly."

The album will contain fifteen tracks, and while the final tracklisting has yet to be confirmed, the names of the recorded songs are as follows:

Last week the Barge To Hell heavy metal cruise set sail on the high seas of the Caribbean with 40 extreme metal acts, and Metal Injection was there to capture all the kvlt awesomeness for an exclusive video report.

Watch exclusive comments from members of Napalm Death, Carcass, Mayhem, Brujeria and fans onboard, as well as Municipal Waste frontman Tony Foresta providing Metal Injection with a tour of all the fun activities to be had on the boat. The video is available right here or in the player below.

Metalundergrond.com was also on hand at the Barge to Hell, and our own coverage, including photos and show reports, will be coming soon. More...

The Internet has been abuzz with rumors throughout the last week of a new Carcass album in the works, which will be the band's first studio full-length since 1996, although recently Heaven Shall Burn's Mattias Voigt shot down claims he would be involved with the album.

Update: Carcass has since confirmed an album is in the works and will feature Jeff Walker, Daniel Wilding, and Bill Steer. Check out the full announcement over here.

Rumors have been circulating online that Carcass is working on a new album that would feature Heaven Shall Burn's Matthias Voigt.

Heaven Shall Burn has now posted the following statement online denying these unsubstantiated claims:

"Blabbermouth.net is really cool, but sometimes rumors are just rumors. Heaven Shall Burn's Matthias is 100% NOT playing for CARCASS!

"Everybody in HSB maintains the status as devoted Carcass-fan and does not even dare to dream of being involved with this legend!"

There has been no statement of any kind from Carcass or any of the members involved with the band at this point, so it's unclear if an album was actually in the works or not. If a new album were coming, it would be the first studio full-length from the band since the 1996 release "Swansong."

The final batch of bands for 2013's edition of the Maryland Deathfest XI has been confirmed, with the exception of one more band that expected for the Soundstage lineup in the next week or so. Here are the latest bands confirmed:

With Sonar closing, the location of 2013's Maryland DeathFest XI was up in the air. The organizers have finally announced that the fest will be held in the same location as last year, and will be expanded. Maryland DeathFest XI will take place in Baltimore, Maryland on Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26, 2013. Tickets go on sale on October 15th at 12 pm (EST). You can read the entire update below:

We're a day early with this announcement, but we can finally let you know where MDF XI will be taking place.

In a nutshell, we will be returning to the property formerly known as Sonar, and will be at least doubling the amount of outside space that we've been used to utilizing. We realize that it's a bit of a mind fuck to wait around for a few months just to hear that the fest is returning to the same place, but truth be told, the other places we looked at were either not able to give us a definite answer anytime soon, and/or had too many inconveniences that we did not want to put the fans through. During the venue search, it was brought to our attention that the new owners of the property were willing to collaborate with us, so we decided to go through with returning to a familiar place that is close to the hotels and conveniences of downtown Baltimore.

The additional space outside will allow us to comfortably accommodate the crowd, and will allow more room for the MDF vendor village, food vendors/food trucks, places to sit, and other new additions like misting tents to escape the possibility of it being hotter than it should be that weekend. There will be two outside stages plus the stage inside. Due to the new configuration outside, the placement of the outside stages will likely be different.As for the building itself, there are some renovations currently taking place, but the rooms will be used exactly how they have been in the past, and it will be air conditioned throughout.

We would also like to announce the addition of a second inside stage at Baltimore Soundstage, which is a 1/2 mile walk away from the former Sonar (at 124 Market Place), and will be used from Friday-Sunday. This will be a smaller show without a barricade that will feature mostly hardcore and punk bands, and it will be scheduled in a way that should not conflict with anything going on at the former Sonar compound. All of the bands for this stage will be included in next week's announcement on October 9th.

Due to an overwhelming demand from metal fans worldwide, Grammy-nominated and Juno award-winning Banger Films is setting out to raise funds to make what has become known as "The Lost Episode" a reality. Metal Evolution: Extreme Metal “The Lost Episode” covers co-director Sam Dunn’s favorite genres: Death Metal, Black Metal and Grindcore, and he is reaching out to metal fans to help make it happen.

“Hundreds of fans have emailed us demanding, pleading, that we do this episode,” says Banger Films co-founder Sam Dunn. “So in response we're launching an IndieGoGo campaign to raise funding within the Metal community to finance the episode. The goal is to raise $175,000 in 90 days!” The campaign kicked off Friday, September 14th. Details of the campaign, including cool donor gifts at various contribution levels. More...

Metal Injection has now presented the first episode in a new series which turns the camera onto the people working behind the scenes in the music industry, titled "On The Record." This edition is the first of a five-part series focusing on "A Decade Of Metal." Each week, some of the heavyweights that make the heavy metal industry tick will weigh in on the biggest topics of the metal scene in the last decade. This premiere edition focuses on reunions, mainly focusing on the At The Gates and Carcass reunions.

A number of documentaries pertaining to specific scenes and genres in heavy metal, most notably grindcore and black metal, have been posted online via YouTube and are now available to watch, uninterupted, from start to finish. "Grindcore - 85 Minutes Of Brutal Heavy Metal," features segments on a number of bands signed to Earache Records during the 1990's, including Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, Godflesh, Carcass and Paradise Lost amongst others and includes live footage, interviews and music videos.

Meanwhile, two different documentaries on black metal have also been posted online, including "Until The Light Takes Us," which examines the black metal scene in Norway during the 1990's and looks at such bands as Burzum and Darkthrone, complete with interviews with Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell and the then incarcerated Varg Vikernes. Alternatively, there is "Murder Music: A History of Black Metal," a British documentary hosted by Contraband Candy host René Ackermann that gives a much broader insight into black metal, tracing the genre's roots from the theatrics of Black Widow to the Christian black metal scene, and everything in between. You can view all of these films below. More...

Earache Records has checked in with the following announcement about offering the label's entire catalog for free online through Spotify:

"Have you ever wanted to hear that awesome new track from your favorite new band, or to go back and check out the early releases from some of the most legendary names in metal, but not had the money to spend on CDs or downloads? Earache has the answer!

"Earache Records has teamed up with popular music streaming service Spotify to give rockers and metalheads instant access to a huge library of killer tunes, all of which are completely free to listen to.

"Earache's entire music catalogue is available now on Spotify, featuring over 3500 tracks from some of the most legendary names in rock and metal, including such classic acts as AT THE GATES, CARCASS, MORBID ANGEL, DEICIDE and NAPALM DEATH, along with the latest releases from some of the hottest new bands such as EVILE, RIVAL SONS, WORMROT and many more.

"To listen to the entire Earache music catalogue, just head to this location (Spotify account required)."

Persian melodic death metal band Arsames will release a four-song EP called "Persian Death Metal Tribute to Warriors Of Metal" this summer. The EP includes covers of Amon Amarth, Kreator, Carcass and Sepultra. There will be a bonus track, "Testament of the King," on the album, which is remixed and remastered from the band's previous album, "Immortal Identity."

European extreme metal act Lock Up have announced that both Carcass frontman Jeff Walker and Hypocrisy/Pain vocalist Peter Tagtgren - who performed on the first Lock Up album - will be appearing on the band's forthcoming new full length. The new album, titled "Necropolis Transparent," is set to be released on July 12, 2011 through Nuclear Blast Records. You can view the revised track listing for the album below.

February 14th is a date that means different things to different people. For some, Valentine’s Day is that special occasion to show someone how much you care, while for others it’s an unfortunate reminder of just how long that unused condom has been stashed in your wallet. For every lucky gentleman who has found the lady he can sexually accost without fear of court mandated harassment classes, there’s that lonely soul who will spend Valentine’s Day with nothing but music out the speakers and a bottle of Jack.

No matter which side you fall on, heavy metal has got a song to match your mood and help you head bang through the gooiest of all the holidays.

Whether any given track is purposefully over the top and funny, depressing enough to make you pull out the eyeliner and candles, or just plain outright disturbing, metal is no stranger to the anti-love song. So for those of you will be spending Valentine’s Day alone, or just simply think the holiday is nothing more than a marketing ploy to sell chocolates and greeting cards, here’s a series of anti-love anthems to get you through the day.

For those who still have a heart and haven't devolved into extreme cynicism, you can also check out our companion listing of pro-love heavy metal music at this location.

Humorous

Metalunderground.com is no stranger to aberrant sexual behavior, as we have the honor of being home the infamous “I’d put my tongue in her butt” forum thread. The following, um, “tongue-in-cheek” songs are all dedicated to everyone who has ever contributed a post to that thread.

Whether 80’s glam rock parody/tribute act Steel Panther is singing love songs or anti-love songs is a matter of some debate. What could be more loving than each band member’s willingness to sleep with anything that moves, regardless of VD status? Take the particularly touching song “Turn Out The Lights,” in which we are informed that front man Michael Starr is in desperate need of some physical attention, even though his partner actively disgusts him. What’s a horny rock star to do? Look no further than the title for the answer:

Los Angeles extreme metal band Dia De Los Muertos has announced the new album "Satánico Dramático" will be launched as a digital release on March 23rd, 2011. The band is now streaming a new song online titled "Fresh Meat For The Grinder," which features a guest appearance from Jeff Walker of Carcass. You can check out the track here.

"Satánico Dramático" is the follow-up to 2005's "Day Of The Dead" EP (reviewed here), which was mixed by Roy Z. (Rob Halford, Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson) and released on Cinismo Records.

Earache Records is set to release the "Metal Survival Kit" on November 22nd, 2010. The kit includes three audio discs and one DVD, offering more than 80 total tracks. Earache Records commented on the release:

"The three audio discs, 'Festival Faves,' 'Future Classics' and 'Under the Radar,' offer an indispensable mixture of established classic hits, the best of metal's new breed and more underground artists deserving of recognition. Included are tracks from such greats as NAPALM DEATH, WHITE WIZZARD, ANNIHILATOR, AT THE GATES, EVILE, CARCASS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CLUTCH, MORBID ANGEL, GODFLESH, ENFORCER, GAMA BOMB, DEICIDE, OCEANO, BONDED BY BLOOD and many, many more.

"The DVD includes classic videos as well as previously unreleased videos from EVILE, MUNICIPAL WASTE, AT THE GATES, WHITE WIZZARD, BONDED BY BLOOD, AKERCOCKE and more. METAL SURVIVAL KIT also includes a selection of exclusive, free essential goodies, including earplugs in a handy holder, a woven patch, a keyring and stickers. Everything comes housed in a rigid, deluxe box."

You can view an image of the box here or watch a video of its contents below. More...

Bill Steer, best known as the guitarist for Carcass, Firebird and formerly of Napalm Death, has been confirmed as the new second guitarist for New Wave Of British Heavy Metal veterans Angel Witch. The band will be making sporadic live appearances with their new lineup over the coming year, including a set at next year's edition of Hellfest.

Last December we took a look at Napalm Death, the British band who is credited with the invention of grindcore, and saw how they were related to a number of other highly recognized names in extreme metal. This week we examine one of those bands, who may very well be just as acclaimed as Napalm Death, Carcass. Carcass was formed by guitarist Bill Steer and drummer Ken Owen under the name of Disattack. The band recorded one demo entitled, "The Bomb Drops..." before deciding to hire new members in the form of vocalist Sanjiv and former Electro Hippies frontman Jeff Walker on bass. Not long after these two joined the band, Steer was recruited as the new guitarist of Napalm Death and recorded the second side of their debut album, "Scum" in March 1987, with Jeff Walker designed the album's front cover. Shortly after recording "Scum," Disattack changed their name to Carcass and the group recorded their first demo under the new moniker, entitled "Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment." This would prove to be the only recording the band made with Sanjiv, who left the band soon after, leaving Walker and Steer to share vocal duties, with some help from drummer Ken Owen.

This lineup of the band released their first album, "Reek Of Putrefaction" in 1988 and despite being very unhappy with the end result, received a positive fedback from many crtics and fans of extreme music, with legendary British DJ John Peel claiming it was his favourite album of the year and inviting the band to perform a coveted "Peel Session" on his show. Carcass would expand on this success with a second album in 1990 named, "Symphonies Of Sickness," which moved away from their previous grindcore sound somewhat, into a more death metal orientated territory. While touring in support of the album, the band decided to recruit a second guitarist in the form of Michael Ammott, who would later go on to form the popular band, Arch Enemy. After recording another Peel Session, the band recorded their first full length album as a four piece, "Necroticism – Descanting The Insalubrious." With it's better production and catchy title, Carcass would expand their fan base some more with this album, along with a mandatory schedule of heavy touring, including the Gods Of Grind tour with Cathedral (which includes former Napalm Death singer Lee Dorrian), Entombed and Confessor. Carcass also released an EP to coincide with the tour called, "Tools Of The Trade" which featured a new song, as well as re-recorded versions of other songs and the track "Incarnated Solvent Abuse" from the previous album. More...

Finnish death metal band Sadistik Forest has signed a deal with VIOLENT JOURNEY RECORDS. The band’s self titled debut will be released on August 12th 2010. The official album release show is scheduled for August 14th 2010 in Jalometalli Metal Festival, Oulu, Finland. Other confirmed acts are Destruction, Suffocation, Carcass, Triptykon etc.

Sadistik Forest was formed in 2007 by guitarist Antti Heikkinen, drummer Vesa Mutka and bassist/vocalist Markus Makkonen. The line-up was completed early this year, when guitarist Matti Salo joined the ranks. Sadistik Forest’s riff-based, ferocious and brutal, assault has often been compared to Unleashed and early Morbid Angel. More...

Following the recent cancellation of Mastodon's European tour dates as a result of guitarist Bill Kelleher being diagnosed with pancreatitus, the organisers of Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting festival has announced that their place will be taken by legendary British grindcore/death metal outfit Carcass. The festival will be taking place in the town of Dessel between June 25th - June 27th.